This will be the 36th chapter of their storied rivalry.

Can Nadal extract revenge for his Australian Open defeat or will Federer come out on top once again?

Competition: BNP Paribas Open/Indian Wells Masters

Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Southern California

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Date: March 16, 2017

Time: Not before 5.30am IST

Channel: Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD

Live streaming: Sony Liv/Sony Liv Youtube

Preview

(5) Rafael Nadal (Rank: 6) vs (9) Roger Federer (Rank: 10)

Head-to-head: Nadal leads 23-12

Last meeting: Federer won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 at the 2017 Australian Open final

Indian Wells head-to-head record: Tied 1-1

Last meeting at Indian Wells: Nadal won 6-4, 6-2 in 2013

Number of times each won the title: Federer won it four times, Nadal won it three times

It’s finally time for that match at the Indian Wells Masters that everyone had been waiting for ever since the men’s singles draw was announced. The tennis world’s two most beloved heroes – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – will be squaring off against each other for what would be the 36th chapter of their storied rivalry.

And the fact that it comes just one-and-a-half months after their mesmerising five-set thriller at the 2017 Australian Open final has got tennis aficionados all the more excited.

This time it won’t be a Major trophy they will be fighting for. Instead, they will be vying with each other for a quarter-final berth at the season’s inaugural Masters. That doesn’t make this showdown any less important.

Will they be able to reprise that epic fight that had kept the world on tenterhooks at Melbourne? That’s the question on everyone’s minds.Interestingly, Federer and Nadal have met just twice at Indian Wells and both times, the match finished in straight sets. That really doesn’t give any clear indication as to whom the balance might tilt.

That said, it needs to be remembered that the dry conditions and the slow hardcourt in this Masters event do suit the three-time champion Nadal’s heavy topspin game more. The 14-time Major winner has made a decent start to the 2017 season, reaching finals in back-to-back hardcourt tournaments at the Australian Open and at Acapulco.

Since winning his record-breaking 18th Slam, Federer suffered a shocking early exit at Dubai but has managed to regroup well and has won both his matches at Indian Wells in straight sets.

The Spaniard might be the slight favourite in this tie but perhaps the outcome doesn’t matter when these two icons of the sport meet. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show as every time they lock horns with each other, it is nothing but a privilege for us, tennis fans.